Till WG-7B8 U McCoMBIE-AuLD C O LLECTION NEW-YORK-STATE COLLEGE ^'AGRICULTURE ; — -: i;;-^ Z^'^ Sf7l SGOTCH Q'jgg' LI.W:>STOCK BY JAMES BR'UCE ' WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS P^DIt^BURGH: EDMONSTON AND COMPANY LONDON : HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. 1877 PBICE ONE SHILLING A Cornell University 9 Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003026766 SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK JAMES BRUCE LIVE-STOCK AGENT, RUTHWELL, ANNAN WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS EDINBURGH : EDMONSTON AND COMPANY LONDON : HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. 1877 TV '^ / 4 / O ^^' 7 &> '^ / / PREFATORY NOTE. The aim of the Author has been to supply a want which he has often heard expressed in England, especially since Scotch Live-Stock have been taken in such large numbers south of the Tweed. He has endeavoured to make the notice of each class of Stock as full and comprehensive as is consistent with brevity. He regards it as an important and valuable feature of the illustrations that, with the exception of the Highland Cattle, they are repre- sentations, in most instances from photographs, of actual specimens of animals of great distinction from the stocks of some of the most celebrated breeders in Scotland. RuTHWELL, Annan, July 1S77. SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. The West Highlanders are possessed of various charac- teristics, which lead them to be much prized for grazing purposes, and prominent among these is their picturesque, and generally distinguished appearance. Every admirer of the grand and the beautiful involuntarily pauses to look at a good specimen of this breed when it comes under his observation. They have sometimes been termed the aris- tocratic breed of cattle, and they have certainly all the quiet dignity and noble bearing of a real aristocrat. This is true of them, irrespective of their colour ; but much of the charm of a mixed and well-selected herd arises from the beautiful colour of individual animals, and from the pleasing variety which is found among them. The prevail- ing colours ai'e black, red, dun, yellow, cream, brindled, etc., and many of these are of a peculiarly rich hue. When they are grazed alongside of deer in a nobleman's or gentleman's park, the one is thought by many to be quite as picturesque as the other, and therefore it is not surprising that they are so much fancied and have become so fashionable. Another of their qualities, which helps to increase the demand for them, is their hardiness of constitution, and the fact that they thrive on coarse pastures, where the daintier Shorthorns could barely exist. The climate of their native Highlands is not so much distinguished for its coldness as for its wet and boisterous character. Their hardy consti- tutions and shaggy coats fit them for exposure to the severest blasts and the most drenching rains. The fact that they are contented with, and thrive on, coarse pastur- age, makes them valuable for grazing along with sheep or other cattle, for they eat much grass which would otherwise be lost. Thus, estimated by the important test of profit, they combine the two properties of a good increase in value and (from not requiring to be housed) a small cost in THE WEST HIGHLAiYD BREED. management ; and it need scarcely be added that the im- portance of the latter recommendation in these times of dear labour cannot easily be over-estimated. The superior quality of their beef, its fine mixed character, is so generally acknowledged, that a prime Highlander always commands the highest price in the Smithfield and other leading markets, and this circumstance adds to their profitableness. West Highland Cattle. Much, however, depends on the breeding of the animals. There are ill-bred beasts and well-bred ones among High- landers, as among all other varieties of cattle, and the un- favourable impressions which some may have formed of the SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. profit of grazing the breed have often arisen from their having fallen in with an inferior sort, which can never be expected to prove satisfactory ; therefore, too much care cannot be taken in the selection of well-bred animals. Much has been done in recent years to improve this breed, and though (from the diminution of the small-croft system in the Highlands, and other causes) fewer of these cattle are now reared than formerly, the quality of those produced is generally much better. In a well-bred West Highlander the head is short, with a fine muzzle ; the forehead broad, and overhung with long shaggy hair ; the eye prominent ; the horns expansive and gracefully curved ; the breast full and broad, and the chest deep ; the ribs boldly arched ; the legs short and muscular ; the back straight, and the body covered with a profusion of shaggy hair. THE AYRSHIRE BREED OF CATTLE, It is now all but universally admitted that the Ayrshire stands unrivalled as the best breed of cattle for dairy pur- poses in Great Britain. Its origin and gradual formation is involved in considerable obscurity ; in fact, all that is certainly known about its early history is that it became recognised as a distinct breed in the first half of last century in that county of Scotland from which it takes its name. Its e-\tension, especially in later years, has been more rapid than that of any other kind of cattle in the kingdom. It prevails almost universally in the counties of Ayr, Lanark, Renfrew, and Dumbarton, and it has in a large measure supplanted the native Galloway breed in Dumfriesshire and Galloway. Considerable numbers of Ayrshires are kept in most of the other Scotch counties, and of late they have been making a steady inroad into England, where they are gradually becoming great favourites. Steps have very recently been taken to establish an Ayrshire Herd-Book, from which the best results may confidently be anticipated. The Ayrshires possess many superior qualities, which sufficiently account for the high and growing estimation in which they are deservedly held. They are elegant, sym- metrically formed animals, and look Avell, whether seen in large herds or in small numbers. They are, moreover, ex- B SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. tremely quiet and docile in temper. Tliere is no more peaceful spectacle than that of a large dairy of Ayrshire cows industriously grazing or quietly lying at rest ; while indi- viduals of them are frequently made great pets. But the characteristic for which they are most highly prized is their milk-giving power, which is really extraordinary, especially considering their size, and the quantity and quality of the food which they consume. Great pains have been taken by the selection of breeders to develop their milk-yielding capacity. Indeed, anyone conversant only with grazing cattle could not but be amazed at the quantity of milk given by an Ayrshire cow at the height of the season, and while the milk is inferior in richness to that of the Jersey, the produce in butter or cheese is most satisfactory. A valuable characteristic of the Ayrshire is its hardy constitution, and its consequent suitability for the varied climate which is found in the different parts of Great Britain. Nowhere do they thrive better and give more satisfaction than on the richest pastures and mildest localities; but their marked superiority over other breeds of dairj' cows consists in their being equally suitable for higher-lying up- land districts, for they not only thrive well in a comparatively cold and variable climate, but they also possess in a special degree the faculty of converting the herbage of indifferent and even poor soils into dairy produce of the best quaht)'. Large and profitable dairies of them are kept in the west and south of Scotland, as high as 700 feet above sea-level, where, at one time, it was thought the dairy system of farming would not succeed. It does not pay to rear pure-bred Ayrshires for grazing purposes. The male calves are fed for veal, with the exception of the few animals kept as bulls, and the quey calves are reared to keep up the stock of cows and a few .^••ii ll.i Q ^ ^ '^ 's S " u o.<^ V SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. surplus ones for sale. But in recent years very successful efforts have been made to develop a large-sized breed of Ayrshires, possessing all the hardiness of constitution and milking properties of the smaller specimens of the breed, and being at the same time large and strong enough to be used for crossing purposes with a Shorthorn bull. In this way a system of mixed husbandry can be practised, namely, the combining of dairy-farming with the rearing and feeding of half-bred cattle. This cross between a Shorthorn bull and an A)Trshire cow is a most valuable animal of a good size, combining all the fattening properties of the sire with the hardiness of constitution of the dam ; it comes even earlier to maturity than, and does not require to be so much pampered as, a pure-bred Shorthorn ; the beef is also of a superior well-mixed character. These large-sized Ayrshire cows are the ones commonly preferred by English purchasers, because, in addition to their possessing the above advantages the necessity of keeping an Ayrshire bull for breeding purposes is obviated Their large frames, moreover, prove advantageous when they have become aged and are fed off for the fat market. The following description of the points of a good Ayr- shire was drawn up by a Committee of the Ayrshire Agricultural Association : — Head short, forehead wide, nose fine between the muzzle and eyes, muzzle moderately large, eyes full and lively ; horns mde set on, inclining upwards and curving slightly inwards. Neck long and straight from the head to the top of the shoulder ; free from loose skin on the under side, fine at its junction with the head, and the muscles symmetrically enlarging towards the shoulders. Shoulders thin at the top, brisket light, the whole forequarters thin in front and gradually increasing in depth and width backwards. Back THE AYRSHIRE BREED OF CATTLE. 13 short and straight ; spine well defined, especially at the shoulders ; the short ribs arched, the body deep at the flanks, and the milk-veins well developed. Pelvis long, broad, and straight ; hook-bones (ilium) wide apart and not much overlaid with fat ; thighs deep and broad ; tail long and slender, and set on level with the back. Milk-vessel capacious and extending well forward ; hinder part broad and firmly attached to the body, the sole or under surface nearly level ; the teats from 2 to 2 A- inches in length, equal in thickness, and hanging perpendicularly ; their distance apart at the sides should be equal to about one-third of the length of the vessel, and across to about one-half of the breadth. Legs short, the bones fine, and the joints firm. Skin soft and elastic, and covered with soft, close, woolly hair. The colours preferred are brown, or brown and white, the colours being distinctly defined. THE GALLOWAY BREED OF CATTLE. For several centuries the province known as Galloway, and which has given its name to a distinctive breed of black polled cattle, has been confined to that south-western corner of Scotland which comprises the stewartry of Kirk- cudbright and the county of Wigtown. But originally Galloway included, besides these two counties, Dumfries- shire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and part of Lanarkshire, and may be described generally as having comprised that exten- sive tract of country lying to the west of the main line of the Caledonian Railway from Carlisle to Glasgow. Until towards the close of last century, the Galloway was the only breed of cattle kept in the wider of these two districts, once called Galloway. The Ayrshire variety, however, has completely supplanted it in the county of that name, as well as in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire ; it has also driven it almost entirely from Wigtownshire, where the dairy system extensively prevails, and in the stewartry of Kirk- cudbright and Dumfriesshire that fashionable and valuable breed of milkers has, in a large measure, taken its place. At one time the breed was extensively kept in the eastern division of Cumberland, but while there are still a few superior herds of darkies in that locality, serious inroads t% 2 £ S 3 ^ c S ^i. C . ^ g O 'iH -p T3 = 1 ^ " m r ^ -^ .B ill 3 .S ^ •s --g "■ ■ ^ "^ -a o rt s : ^.s "^ ■ o .=: J-, ■ ^% ^: H i6 SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. have been made upon it there by the more fashionable Shorthorn. Galloway cattle are now universally polled, and they are almost all black ; but originally the most of them were horned. The union of the two kingdoms opened up a brisk demand, from the rich grazing counties in the south- east of England, for lean Galloway cattle, and as the southern purchasers preferred them polled, the rearers of them were careful to select animals without horns as breeders, and so in course of time they became universally polled. This demand from the south was so extensively developed that in the end of last century as many as 20,000 three and four year old Galloways were annually despatched to the south from the district of which the town of Dumfries is the centre. They walked the whole distance in large droves, the time taken in the journey being about a month. These were fattened on the rich pastures, and consigned to the Smithfield and other fat markets. As turnip husbandry was developed in the south of Scotland, this trade gradually assumed smaller dimen- sions, for most of the animals were made fit for the fat market in their native province ; and the opening up of the country by railways afforded facilities which did not previously exist for sending fat stock to the large centres of population. It is almost exclusively as beef-producers that the Gal- loway cattle are distinguished, for their milking properties are not extraordinary. The quality of the milk given by them is decidedly superior, but its quantity is not large, at all events in proportion to the size of the animal. They are very hardy in constitution, being covered by a profusion of black hair, which forms an excellent protection to them in their native climate, which is cold and moist. While THE GALLOWAY BREED OF CATTLE. 17 the number of Gallo\Yay cattle has been greatly reduced in the south-west of Scotland and the north of England, the qtiality of those which remain is in general of a high order, the efforts made for their improvement having been very successful. This has been specially accomphshed by two means. The one has consisted in the establishment, about a quarter of a centur}' ago, of annual sales of yearling bulls at Lockerbie, in Dumfriesshire, and at a slightly later date, at Castle-Douglas, in Kirkcudbright. Excellent prices were realised by the breeders, the best animals giving from £,20 to ^70 each; while these sales were the means of diffusing the best blood through the country, the remuner- ative returns gave an impetus to the breeders in their efforts after improvement. The other means which has contributed to the improvement of the breed has been the establish- ment, about fourteen years ago, of the "Polled Herd-Book;" a few months ago the breeders, having formed themselves into a Galloway Cattle Society, purchased the copyright of the GaUoway portion of the Polled Herd-Book, and will henceforth issue a separate Herd-Book, which is certain to contribute still further to the general purity of the breed. The quality of the beef produced by the Galloway is not second to that supplied by any other breed of British cattle, with the exception, perhaps, of the West Highlander. In the Smithfield, and other leading markets, it is ranked among " prime Scots." It is alleged, with some measure of truth, that a Galloway is rather slow in coming to maturity in comparison with some other varieties. How- ever, an excellent cross — in great favour with the butchers — is produced from the Galloway cow and the Shorthorn bull. While the colours of animals of this cross vary, they are generally of a bluish-grey; their flesh is beautifully mixed, and the infusion of the Shorthorn blood into them iS SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. produces a greater tendency to early maturity than is found in the pure-bred Galloway. The cross produced between the Galloway bull and the Ayrshire cow is also a good hardy beast ; a considerable number of farmers in Galloway, who combine dairying (the cows being Ayrshires) with the rearing and feeding of cattle, make use of this cross with results which, taking climate and soil into account, are generally 'considered satisfactory. POLLED ANGUS or ABERDEEN CATTLE. Although the Polled Galloway and Polled Angus or Aberdeen breeds of cattle are now distinct varieties, yet they have such striking points of resemblance that they must have sprung, perhaps some centuries ago, from the same source, and the main differences which there are at the present day between them have probably been the result of the soil, chmate, and other circumstances in which they have respectively been placed. Their native homes are placed at two extremes of Scotland, the one being the South-Western counties and the other the North-Eastern. The Polled Angus or Aberdeen is now the prevaihng breed in that wide triangular-shaped area of country which lies to the north-east of a line drawn from Dundee to Nairn. While it is undoubted that the original habitat of the pro- genitors of the race was of smaller dimensions, there has been a keen controversy on the question, which it is now impossible to determine with certainty, whether the present polled breed had its origin in Forfarshire or Aberdeenshire. Each county seems to have had from time immemorial its polled catde, the one being termed the Angus Doddies, and the other the Buchan or Aberdeen Hummhes, and from both these races the present improved breed seems to have sprung. SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. The above two counties share the credit of effecting the principal improvement on the breed, but to Mr. Hugh Watson, Keillor, in Forfarshire, must be attributed the well- merited honour of being the first great improver of them. Mr. Watson founded his herd in 1808, and animals mth his strain of blood were long known as Keillor Doddies. Meanwhile Mr. M'Combie of Tillyfour, late M.P. for West Aberdeenshire, who began his herd in 1832, and others in that county were using skilful and systematic efforts after improvement. Indeed, Mr. M'Combie has done more than any other man to give the Angus or Aberdeen breed the high celebrity it has attained as a beef-producing race. When the r.'>ge for Shorthorns was at its height, the polled breed was threatened with extinction, but he and other devoted admirers of the native breed, remained steadfast to their first love, until of late years there has been a decided disposition to " hark back " to the once discarded black skins. In fact, the reaction in their favour is ver}' decided, and consequently the price of the best class of pedigree animals of both sexes suitable for breeding has risen con- siderably, and is now high. Moreover, Mr. M'Combie, by his liberal feeding and great enterprise, has sent, year by year, such a large number of splendid animals to the Smith- field and other markets and shows, that he has been largely instrumental, with the able assistance of other well-known feeders, in convincing all parties that the Polled Angus or Aberdeen ranks in the very first order of beef-producing cattle. A Polled Herd-Book, which was started in 1862, has reached its fourth volume, and it has done not a little to maintain the purity of the breed. Like the other old breeds of Scotch Cattle, the Polled Angus or Aberdeen is hardy in constitution, quiet and docile in temper, and very prolific. The milk given by many of H .5 a •3 a-s SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. them is large in quantity and rich in quality, but as milkers they vary a good deal. In colour they are now almost universally black, but at one time, many of them were brindled and red, and occasionally animals of these colours are still found. Their hair is smooth and silky, and it has a much more glossy appearance than that of the Galloway, which otherwise they closely resemble in appearance. They come early to maturity, grow to a large size, and are easily finished for the fat market. The quality of their beef is unsurpassed, and it deservedly commands the highest quotations in the Smithfield and other markets. The quality of the flesh and its marble-like fineness in the grain, commend it to the consumer, while the fact of beasts of this breed weighing unusually well on the scales, in propor- tion to their measurement, makes them favourites with the butchers. Among the many distinctions which Aberdeen polled cattle have won in the show-yard "against all comers," we may mention that a bullock of this breed gained Prince Albert's cup at Poissy, in 1S62, against all the breeds of all nations ; that they have twice carried off the champion cup at Smithfield in recent years, and that they have fre- quently gained the chief prize at Birmingham, Mr. M'Combie having secured the latter trophy no fewer than three times. Of all the varieties of cross-bred cattle, there is none more satisfactory and remunerative to the feeder than the cross between the Polled Angus or Aberdeen and the Shorthorn. It grows to a large size, shows great aptitude to fatten, and when killed, the fat and lean are found to be distributed over its carcase in most desirable proportions. CLYDESDALE HORSES. Symmetry, activity, strength, and endurance, are the quah- ties most highly esteemed in a work-horse, and it is now all but universally admitted that the Clydesdale breed pos- sesses eveiy one of these valuable characteristics in as great a degree as any other. Indeed, not a few eminent authori- ties assert that, " take it all in all," it is unequalled, and that therefore it justly deserves the title which has been given to it, — " the work-horse of the world." It has existed as a distinct breed for about a century in that district of Scotland from which it takes its name, but while all are satisfied that it is the result of a cross of the original mares of the dale with stallions of some other race, yet it is now impossible to ascertain with anything like certainty to what particular breed the imported sires belonged ; the theory that they were Belgian horses, brought across by a Duke of Hamilton, is, however, one which is widely accepted. Many years have elapsed since Clydesdales ceased to be confined exclusively to their native valley, and at the present day many of the best specimens are bred in Galloway, Ayrshire, Perthshire, etc., as well as in Clydesdale. During the last fifteen or twenty years very gi'eat improvement has been effected on horses of this breed, and among those who have been chiefly instrumental in bringing this about 24 SCOTCH LIVE-STOCK. the names of J. N. Fleming, Esq., fomierly of Knockdon, Ayrshire, Sir WiUiam StirHng-Maxwell, Bart, of Keir and PoUok, and Mr. Lawrence Drew, Merryton, near Hamilton, deserve special mention. A Clydesdale Horse Society has recently been formed, under the able and active presidency of the Earl of Dunmore, principally for the management of a stud-book, and this step will doubtless do much to main- tain the purity and extend the fame of the breed. While the pure-bred Clydesdale horse is justly held in high estimation as a work-horse suitable for either the farm or the street, sires of this variety have deservedly been regarded with rapidly-increasing favour for crossing with mares of other breeds and countries. Indeed, they stand unrivalled in their wonderful adaptability for the improve- ment, by crossing, of the common farm-horse of almost every nationality. Hence, in recent years, considerable numbers of them have been taken to almost every part of England, and many splendid animals have been exported to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other British colonies. As the best results have flowed from the use of Clydesdale sires both at home and abroad, the remunerative demand for them thereby created has naturally incited breeders to increased efforts after improvement. .3 £ ,^ O ! o — ! H > ■&2 E ^ CO ^ i.-2-S i T3 1i BLACK-FACED SHEEP. The Black-faced or Highland variety of sheep was un- questionably the native Scotch breed, and until near the close of last century they were almost without exception the only kind of sheep kept, not only on the mountain ranges, but also in the lowlands of North Britain. On the intermediate hills and on the grassy mountains they have since that time been largely supplanted by the Cheviots. However, on the high-lying mossy and heathy mountain ranges they have held their own, and are likely to do so. Indeed, owing to the severity of the seasons, a reaction has, in recent years, set in in their favour, and there has been a disposition in some quarters to restore the dusky- faced horned breed to their original walks ; in fact this has actually been done in many instances. The black-faces possess several valuable characteristics in a greater degree than, perhaps, any other breed of mountain sheep in Great Britain. They have a remarkable hardiness of constitution, which enables them to endure hunger and cold to an almost incredible degree, and therefore to withstand the rigours of a trying winter. They are peculiarly active in making a shift for food when in a strait, being adepts at digging for their food in deep snow, and showing a dis- position to eat coarse grasses, which daintier breeds are BLACK-FACED SHEEP. 27 backward to partake of, even when suffering from hunger. They are good milkers, and have a strong maternal instinct, which prompts them to stand by their offspring